What should my Help do? was: Online Help Usability

[LaVonna Funkhouser <lffunkhouser -at- HALNET -dot- COM>]

Jonathan refers to context-sensitive help as "information about
the elements of your interface," and it got me to thinking.

In my current project, I've been told (by my team leader) that my
help should include these things:
> context-sensitive, F1 help
> a "browse" type help, accessed by clicking on "help" in the upper
  right portion of the window

The browse help will provide screen captures with hotspots, which
in effect allows context-sensitive help when you are not in that
window.

I think that my help should include tips for the user who is using
our new, improved Unix-based GUI but who was used to the older,
VAX-based software.  To me, these are the kinds of questions the user
is going to be asking (I used to enter it on a screen called QRS; how do
I do it now?), and this kind of help is *at least* as important as
help that tells him what the Insert button does or what the Variabe Type
field is for.

BTW, team leader said I can do this but only after doing the
context-sensitive and hotspot help.  My planning reveals that I
will have at least 202 unique topics to define.

The software team is not thrilled about the screen captures.  They
think it will slow down the help and make users not use the help.

*Please* provide comments on how we are approaching our help.
This is my first online help project.

LaVonna
lffunkhouser -at- halnet -dot- com